ESA Unable To Secure Commitment for ISS Extension

PONTE VEDRA, Fla. — The European Space Agency (ESA) was unable to win its member governments’ approval of NASA’s proposed five-year extension of operations of the international space station because of an unrelated dispute over financial support for Europe’s Arianespace commercial launch services consortium, ESA and European government officials said.

As a result, no decision approving the station’s extension to 2020 will be made before a March meeting of ESA governments. ESA already is committed to supporting the station through 2015, though the details remain to be worked out.

Meeting in its habitual closed-door session Dec. 15-16, ESA’s ruling council issued a statement expressing general approval for the station’s continued use, and also backing further support for Arianespace. [for full story click here]